John Duncan Bulkeley
Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy
Medal of Honor Recipient
World War II

Vice Admiral John Duncan Bulkeley was one of the most decorated officers in the U.S. Navy. Bulkeley received the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Pacific Theater during World War II. He was also the PT boat skipper who evacuated General MacArthur from Corregidor in the Philippines and commanded at the Battle of La Ciotat.

John Duncan Bulkeley was born on 19 August 1911 in New York City and grew up on a farm in Hackettstown, NJ. Unable to gain an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy from his home state of New Jersey, he gained an appointment from the state of Texas. Due to budget constraints, only the upper half of the 1933 Academy class received a commission upon graduation. John Bulkeley, noted early-on for his intense interest in engineering, joined the Army Air Corps. Like the flying machines of the day, he landed hard more than once. After a year, and because the President and Congress permitted additional commissions in the Navy (as a government plan for additional jobs), Bulkeley gave up flying for the deck of a cruiser, the USS Indianapolis (CA-35), as a commissioned officer in the Navy.

Bulkeley charted an interesting course in his early years and was quickly recognized by the Navy's leadership. As a new Ensign in the mid-1930s, he took the initiative to remove the Japanese Ambassador's briefcase from a stateroom aboard a Washington-bound steamer, delivering it to Naval Intelligence a short swim later. This bold feat, the first of many in his life, did not earn him any medals, but it did get him a swift one-way ticket out of the country and a new assignment as Chief Engineer of a coal-burning gunboat, the USS Sacramento (PG-19), also known in those parts as "The Galloping Ghost of the China Coast." There he met Alice Wood, a young, attractive English girl, at a dinner party aboard HMS Diana (H49). In China, they witnessed the invasion of Swatow and Shanghai by Japanese troops and the bombing of USS Panay (PR-5), the first U.S. Navy ship sunk in World War II.

World War II

At the dawn of World War II, Bulkeley was a Lieutenant in command of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three, a Philippine-based detachment of six motor torpedo boats. He hit his stride as a daring, resourceful and courageous leader, determined to fight to the last against enemy forces attacking the Philippine Islands. He picked up General Douglas MacArthur, his family, and his immediate staff, who had been ordered to flee the Philippines, and took them aboard PT-41 and other 77-foot motor torpedo boats through over 600 nautical miles of open ocean. On arriving at Mindanao, MacArthur said, "You have taken me out of the jaws of death. I shall never forget it." Bulkeley earned many of his impressive array of decorations while in command of that squadron and a subsequent one.

Medal of Honor

Rank and organization: Lieutenant Commander, Commander of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 3, U.S. Navy.

Place and date: Philippine waters, 7 December 1941 to 10 April 1942.

Entered service at: Texas. Born: 19 August 1911, New York, NY.

Citation: For extraordinary heroism, distinguished service, and conspicuous gallantry above and beyond the call of duty as commander of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 3, in Philippine waters during the period 7 December 1941 to 10 April 1942. The remarkable achievement of Lt. Comdr. Bulkeley's command in damaging or destroying a notable number of Japanese enemy planes, surface combatant and merchant ships, and in dispersing landing parties and land-based enemy forces during the 4 months and 8 days of operation without benefit of repairs, overhaul, or maintenance facilities for his squadron, is believed to be without precedent in this type of warfare. His dynamic forcefulness and daring in offensive action, his brilliantly planned and skillfully executed attacks, supplemented by a unique resourcefulness and ingenuity, characterize him as an outstanding leader of men and a gallant and intrepid seaman. These qualities coupled with a complete disregard for his own personal safety reflect great credit upon him and the Naval Service.

In 1944, he went halfway around the world for the Normandy Invasion. Bulkeley led torpedo boats and minesweepers in clearing the lanes to Utah Beach, keeping German E-boats from attacking the landing ships along the Mason Line, and picking up wounded sailors from the sinking minesweeper USS Tide (AM-125); destroyer escort USS Rich (DE-695); and destroyer USS Corry (DD-463). As invasion operations wound down, he got command of his first large ship, the destroyer USS Endicott (DD-495). One month after D-Day, he came to the aid of two British gunboats under attack by two German corvettes. Charging in with only one gun working, he engaged both enemy vessels at point-blank range, sending both to the bottom. When asked, he explained, "What else could I do? You engage, you fight, you win. That is the reputation of our Navy, then and in the future."

Cold War

During the Korean War in 1952, Bulkeley commanded Destroyer Division 132. After the war, he was Chief of Staff for Cruiser Division Five. Because the North Koreans did not have a large navy and the Chinese were not committing their own, few naval battles were fought in the war. Destroyer Division 132 focused on providing naval gunfire support for troops on shore, but on several occasions, the destroyers engaged enemy shore batteries. Throughout the conflict, the North Koreans failed to inflict serious damage on any American warship deployed.

In the early 1960s, Bulkeley commanded Clarksville Base, TN, then a tri-service command under the aegis of the Defense Atomic Support Agency. Having lost none of his wartime daring, Bulkeley was known to test the alertness of the Marines guarding the base by donning a ninja suit, blackening his face and endeavoring to penetrate the classified area after dark without detection. This was a dangerous endeavor, as the Marines carried loaded weapons. Ever popular with his men, who both respected and admired him, Bulkeley could be seen driving around the base in his fire-engine red Triumph TR3 sports car with a large silver PT boat as a hood ornament.

Promoted to Rear Admiral by President John F. Kennedy, who commanded PT-109 during World War II, Bulkeley was dispatched to command the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba, where he met Cuba's threat to sever water supplies in response to the Bay of Pigs invasion and other assaults by ordering the installation of desalinization equipment to make the base self-sufficient.

Last Years

Bulkeley retired from active duty in 1967. However, he was recalled to serve as Commander of the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) which does inspections and surveys of ships before their commissioning and deployment. Bulkeley again retired from the Navy in 1988, after 55 years of service.

Medals and Awards

Medal of Honor
Navy Cross
Distinguished Service Cross w/ 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Navy Distinguished Service Medal w/ 1 Gold Star
Silver Star Medal w/ 1 Gold Star
Legion of Merit w/ Combat Valor Device and 1 Gold Star
Purple Heart w/ 1 Gold Star
China Service Medal
American Defense Service Medal w/ "Fleet" Clasp
American Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
European, African, Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Korean Service Medal
Philippine Defense Ribbon
United Nations Service Medal
French Croix de Guerre w/ Palm
Philippine Distinguished Conduct Star

Honors

The USN destroyer USS Bulkeley (DDG-84), commissioned in 2001, is named after him.

Route 57 in Mansfield Township, Warren County, NJ, is named the "Admiral John D. Bulkeley Memorial Highway" in his honor.

In Cinema

Robert Montgomery played Squadron Commander Brickley (based on Bulkeley) in the 1945 movie, They Were Expendable. John Ford, assisted by Montgomery, directed. The cast also included John Wayne, Ward Bond, and Donna Reed.

Death and Burial

Vice Admiral John Duncan Bulkeley died on 6 April 1996, at age 84, in his home at Silver Spring, MD. He was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA. His grave is located in Section 5, Lot 129-9.